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Ficlet: "Growing Pains"
Title: Growing Pains
Fandom: FFX-2
Rating: PG
Wordcount: ~690
Characters: Leblanc, Logos, Ormi
Pairings: n/a
Spoilers: Hmm, let's say very minor, for Logos and Ormi's backstory
Notes: Written for the "Out of the Comfort Zone" meme, to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
regann's request for a story featuring Leblanc. Also inspired by my discovery, in my last playthrough of X-2, that there was at least one Al Bhed goon in the Leblanc syndicate.
"All right, you can go. You'll have an answer by tomorrow." Leblanc rose from the couch and extended her hand, smiling despite her eagerness to get rid of the latest band of recruits. It had been a long day of interviews, and she wanted nothing more to get some peace and think about the decisions she'd have to make. She knew that recruiting was the only way to build her organization and make her dreams of controlling Spira's sphere market come true, but that didn't mean she had to like dealing with these annoying start-up issues.
The leader took her fingers and gracefully bowed over them. "Thanks for your time, ma'am. Look forward to hearing from you." He lifted his head and looked at her with those unsettling green eyes. Then, with a charming smile, he rose and gathered up his three Al Bhed companions. As soon as they had exited the main hall of the Chateau -- the first thing she had done after moving into the old Guado palace had been to rename the monstrosity; redecorating could come later -- Leblanc plopped back down on her couch with a sigh.
"Interviewing is so tiring," she sighed. "All that talking makes me thirsty." A brisk wave of her hand, and Logos was at her side, a glass of spring wine in his hand. She accepted it and took a long drink, then set it down on the side table. Sitting up, she looked up at Logos and over at Ormi, who had taken up his usual guard position by the entrance to the back corridor. "Well. He was promising, don't you think? Should we take them on?"
Ormi shook his head. "I dunno, Boss. There was good fighters in those other groups. You think they'd work with Al Bhed? We don't wanna lose anyone else by hiring those guys."
Logos crossed his arms with a decisive nod. "I agree, it is a risk. And did you notice that their leader did all the talking? I wonder if the others even speak our language."
"Yeah, yeah!" Ormi left his post and walked across the room to stand beside Logos. "Next thing ya know, they'll be trying to get everyone to use machina, an--"
"Stop it!" Leblanc tossed her fan aside in disgust as she jumped to her feet and glared at her lieutenants. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. I should have known it was a mistake to think you Yevonites could ever change." Dropping one hand to her hips, she pointed with the other, first at Ormi, whose jaw had dropped, then at a pale, quivering Logos. "The only prejudice allowed in my Syndicate is against stupidity like yours. So I'm going to hire them. All of them. And any other Al Bhed with the chops who comes to my door. And if you don't like it, you can get out. With our without the heel, your choice. Understand?"
Ormi took a careful step back, lifting his hands in a gesture of protection. "Yup, yup. Sure thing. Whatever you say, Boss. Right, Logos?"
"Of course, of course." Logos also backed away, taking a small bow as he did so. "Whatever you say."
"Good. I'm glad we're clear." She crossed her arms. "Now go welcome those Al Bhed to the Leblanc Syndicate. And you'd better be gracious about it, or..."
Logos cringed, and Leblanc fought back a smile of satisfaction. She didn't mind ruling by fear, not if that was what it took to rise to the top. "As you wish, Boss." He glanced at Ormi with a jerk of his head. "Come on." He hustled out the door, followed by his partner, who forgot to close the door behind him in his eagerness to flee her wrath.
Leblanc waited a moment, then shut the door before taking her rightful spot on the couch once again. She sat down, picked up her wine glass, and lifted it in a silent toast to a good day's work. "It's good to be in charge," she murmured to herself as she took a drink, settling into her well-earned evening of relaxation.
Fandom: FFX-2
Rating: PG
Wordcount: ~690
Characters: Leblanc, Logos, Ormi
Pairings: n/a
Spoilers: Hmm, let's say very minor, for Logos and Ormi's backstory
Notes: Written for the "Out of the Comfort Zone" meme, to
regann's request for a story featuring Leblanc. Also inspired by my discovery, in my last playthrough of X-2, that there was at least one Al Bhed goon in the Leblanc syndicate. "All right, you can go. You'll have an answer by tomorrow." Leblanc rose from the couch and extended her hand, smiling despite her eagerness to get rid of the latest band of recruits. It had been a long day of interviews, and she wanted nothing more to get some peace and think about the decisions she'd have to make. She knew that recruiting was the only way to build her organization and make her dreams of controlling Spira's sphere market come true, but that didn't mean she had to like dealing with these annoying start-up issues.
The leader took her fingers and gracefully bowed over them. "Thanks for your time, ma'am. Look forward to hearing from you." He lifted his head and looked at her with those unsettling green eyes. Then, with a charming smile, he rose and gathered up his three Al Bhed companions. As soon as they had exited the main hall of the Chateau -- the first thing she had done after moving into the old Guado palace had been to rename the monstrosity; redecorating could come later -- Leblanc plopped back down on her couch with a sigh.
"Interviewing is so tiring," she sighed. "All that talking makes me thirsty." A brisk wave of her hand, and Logos was at her side, a glass of spring wine in his hand. She accepted it and took a long drink, then set it down on the side table. Sitting up, she looked up at Logos and over at Ormi, who had taken up his usual guard position by the entrance to the back corridor. "Well. He was promising, don't you think? Should we take them on?"
Ormi shook his head. "I dunno, Boss. There was good fighters in those other groups. You think they'd work with Al Bhed? We don't wanna lose anyone else by hiring those guys."
Logos crossed his arms with a decisive nod. "I agree, it is a risk. And did you notice that their leader did all the talking? I wonder if the others even speak our language."
"Yeah, yeah!" Ormi left his post and walked across the room to stand beside Logos. "Next thing ya know, they'll be trying to get everyone to use machina, an--"
"Stop it!" Leblanc tossed her fan aside in disgust as she jumped to her feet and glared at her lieutenants. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. I should have known it was a mistake to think you Yevonites could ever change." Dropping one hand to her hips, she pointed with the other, first at Ormi, whose jaw had dropped, then at a pale, quivering Logos. "The only prejudice allowed in my Syndicate is against stupidity like yours. So I'm going to hire them. All of them. And any other Al Bhed with the chops who comes to my door. And if you don't like it, you can get out. With our without the heel, your choice. Understand?"
Ormi took a careful step back, lifting his hands in a gesture of protection. "Yup, yup. Sure thing. Whatever you say, Boss. Right, Logos?"
"Of course, of course." Logos also backed away, taking a small bow as he did so. "Whatever you say."
"Good. I'm glad we're clear." She crossed her arms. "Now go welcome those Al Bhed to the Leblanc Syndicate. And you'd better be gracious about it, or..."
Logos cringed, and Leblanc fought back a smile of satisfaction. She didn't mind ruling by fear, not if that was what it took to rise to the top. "As you wish, Boss." He glanced at Ormi with a jerk of his head. "Come on." He hustled out the door, followed by his partner, who forgot to close the door behind him in his eagerness to flee her wrath.
Leblanc waited a moment, then shut the door before taking her rightful spot on the couch once again. She sat down, picked up her wine glass, and lifted it in a silent toast to a good day's work. "It's good to be in charge," she murmured to herself as she took a drink, settling into her well-earned evening of relaxation.
no subject
I love the fact that even when she's being fair-minded and intelligent, she sounds like a bitch.
I can never figure out what I think of LeBlanc. Her basic portrait in FFX-2 like almost everything in it is over-sexualization of women and "women are bitchy and ruled by their hormones", so I wrote her off as a dreadful stereotype.
But you turn it on its head, challenging whether it's just us assuming that "bitchy" style such as hers is really any more of a problem than the various other hard-ass methods of power glorified in our films and political/corporate offices ("I'd follow him to the gates of hell").
Meh, which is all very meta, but the point is, you've got their voices down pat and great characterization, picking up on a tiny detail and running with it. My favorite sort of fanfic, "gap filling." Yay!
no subject
Naturally. Would she be Leblanc otherwise? ;)
Thanks!
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about Leblanc myself. I appreciate her character in the first half of the game -- not that I liked her, exactly, but I admire her ruthlessness and "take-no-prisoners" attitude, but when the sighing school-girl crush on "Noojie-Woojie" takes over, I lose a lot of respect for her. When I was challenged to write about her, I knew I would have to focus on ruthless businesswomen Leblanc, not obsessed-with-a-man-who's-clearly-not-that-into-her Leblanc.